Multicolor printing machine



June 1, 1937. J. A. BOYCE MULTICOLOR PRINTING MACHINE \Filed Jan. 15, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 1, 1937. J. A. BOYCE MULTIGOLOR PRINTING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 15, 1935 Patented June 1 1 937 UNITED STATES MULTICOLOR PRINTING MACHINE.

John A. Boyce, deceased, late of Berkeley, Calif., by John F. Thomas, administrator, Berkeley, Calif., assignor to Josie Boyce, Berkeley, Calif.

Application January 15, 1935, Serial No. 1,884

5 Claims.

This invention is a multicolor printing machine designed to print newspapers or magazines.

The main object of the invention is to provide a multicolor printing machine which can be used for printing either newspapers or magazines and which will print either or both sides of a web in one ormore colors. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the class described in which a series of impressions can be made on one or both sides relative to the impression cylinders, the entireunit being driven from a single point and the axes of all the impression cylinders being normally in vertical alignment. 1 g

A still further object of the invention is to provide each impression roll with independent adjusting means for lateral adjustment to permit the impression cylinder being adjusted toward or away from its cooperating plate cylinder, whereby any one of the plate cylinders may be made inoperative, and also whereby proper impression between the plate and impression cylinders may be obtained.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a machine in which the web path is in an upward direction, the roll of paper being disposed below the machine or tier of impression cylinders and the web path leading between successive plate and impression cylinders and be-v tween impression cylinders, and having the arrangement of plate and impression cylinders such that the web may be forwarded from the web path after passing through any pair of plate and impression cylinders.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description is read on the drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which similar reference characters are used to designate similar parts throughout the several views, of which:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic View showing the arrangement of impression and plate cylinders together with the inking devices.

Fig. 2 is a view of a plate cylinder, showing th cylinder plated with two magazine plates having the columns running circumferentially, each plate being prepared to print two magazine pages.

Fig. 3 is a view of a plate cylinder showing the cylinder plated with two'newspaper plates hav ing the columns running longitudinally of the cylinder.

Fig.4 is a modification of the invention disclosed in Fig. 1 and includes the means for forwarding the web from the web path after any impression in the series.

Fig. 5 is a view showing the arrangement of gearing for driving the perfecting unit.

Fig. 6 is a view showing the method of gearing used to drive all of the cylinders in the unit in synchronism while operating the impression cylinders to prevent mutual cooperation with the web.

The invention consists of a tier of superposed impression cylinders, each of which is mounted in laterally adjustable bearings to permit lateral adjustment of one impression cylinder relative to the other, a plate cylinder mounted in cooperative relation to each impression cylinder, the plate cylinders being laterally disposed relative to the impression cylinders and staggered relative to each other so as to provide space between the plate cylinders to permit removal of the plates and also to provide clear space for forwarding the web from its web path, the web path being directed upwardly through the successive pairs of impression and plate cylinders and adjacent impression cylinders, the adjustment of the impression cylinders being permitted by the specific arrangement of gearing and permitting making any one of the plate cylinders inoperative, which together with the means for forwarding the web from the web path at any point will permit any arrangement of straight or color printing desired so that either or both sides of the web may be printed in one or more colors depending on'the number of pairs of impression and plate cylinders which are incorporated in the unit. This unit is installed in cooperative relation to suitable cutting, folding, or associating means, the web. being forwarded from the drag roller directly to the finishing devices.

The invention is preferably equipped with plate cylinders similar to those shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the subject matter of which is covered by my copending application above referred to. Where it is desired to print magazines, the cylinder is plated as shown in Fig. 2 with the columns running. circumferentially, while in the printing of newspapers, the cylinder is plated as shown in Fig. 3 in which the columns run longitudinally of the cylinder.

The unit consists of a plurality of impression cylinders H], ll, [2 and I3 which provides for the printing of a web M on both sides with two colors on each side. The number of impression cylin ders may be increased to provide additional colors as may be desired, or an additional unit or half unit installed in cooperative relation. Where a half unit or two additional impression cylinders were provided, three colors could be printed on each side of the sheet, and where an entire second unit was supplied, both sides of the web could be printed in'three colors and black.

These four impression cylinders are each mounted in individual adjustable bearings to permit each impression cylinder to be adjusted laterally, and consists of a bearing'block l5 which is slidably mounted in a frame it and adjusted by means of screws ll, although any other convenient method of adjustment may be employed, such as wedges.

The entire tier of impression cylinders are driven by means of suitable bevel gearing I8 through a drive gear is, each compression roll being driven through a gear whose pitch diameter is equal to the outside diameter of the cylinder, thereby all impression cylinders are synchronously driven.

Peripherally cooperating with each impression cylinder is a plate cylinder, there being four plate cylinders 26, 2 l, 22'and 23, each of whichis driven through a gear having a pitch diameter equal to the outside diameterof the plates 24 or 25 so as to obtain non-slip registry between each impression cylinder and its cooperating plate cylinder.

Cooperating with each plate cylinder is an inking device 26 which is of the usual type.

The roll of paper 2? is disposed at some point in a plane below the lowest impression'cylinder I!) so that the web ldfrom the roll first passes about a guide roller 23 and thence between the impression cylinder Iii and plate cylinder 20, thence between the impression cylinders in and H, thence between the impression cylinder II and plate cylinder 2 I thence between the impression cylinder l2 and plate cylinder 22, and thence between the impression cylinders l2 and I3, and finally between the impression cylinder l3 and plate cylinder 23, the web being forwarded therefrom to a drag roller 29 to suitable folding, associating or cutting devices 30, the type of which will depend upon the finished article and would preferably consist of some arrangement such as that shown in my copending application above referred to.

The web l6 may be forwarded to be cut by means of a suitable arrangement of cutting cylinders to provide unfolded single sheets which may be associated with other printed sections to form magazines or newspapers or parts thereof, or finished in any desired or suitable manner after leaving the drag roller 29. 7

Where it is'desired to provide for printing, both sides of the web with three colors each, it is merely necessary to increase the tier of impression cylinders by two, or provide an extra half unit, which half unit would consist of two impression cylinders and their cooperating plate cylinders and suitable inking devices driven in synchrcnism with the unit just described, the web passing to the second unit or half unit instead of to the drag roller. The finishing device for cutting, folding, associating, shown at 30 is driven in synchronism with the perfecting unit, both units being driven through the shaft 3| as is clearly indicated. A suitable mounting structure is provided for the assembly of cylinders.

No description of the finishing device Bil is considered necessary as the perfecting unit will operate with any type of cutting, slitting, folding or associating arrangement.

It will be noted that the web may be forwarded from any desired point, such as is clearly indicated by the dotted lines 32 and 33, so that either or both sides of the web may be printed in one or more colors, and in addition to this, any of the plate cylinders maybe made inoperative by adjusting the impression cylinder relative to the plate cylinder and leaving the plates off of the plate cylinders and in this manner, the one or both sides of the web can be printed as desired.

A modification of the invention is shown in Fig. 4 in which four impression cylinders 3Q, 35, 36, and 3'! are mounted in superposed relation or in a vertical tier, each of the impression cylinders being mounted in laterally adjustable bearings 38, which adjustable bearings. may be of any type to permit a small lateral adjustment of each impression cylinder independently of the others.

A plate cylinder cooperates with eachimpression cylinder as in the previously described unit, the plate cylinders 55%, 4G, ii and 42, respectively, cooperating with the impression cylinderst i to 31, and an inking device 43 cooperates with each plate cylinder.

It is advisable in certain instances, or at certain points in the web path, to space the impression cylinders such as is shown at 45, and this may be readily accomplished as shown in Fig. 6 in which impression'cylinder 35 is peripherally spaced from impression cylinder 3'5, while im pression cylinder 34 is in peripheral contact with impression cylinder 35 and impression cylinder 31 is in peripheral contact with impression cylinder 36.

To accomplish this purpose, gear 45 on cylinder 36 and gear 45 on cylinder 3? are both equal in pitch diameter to the outside diameter of the impression cylinders, similarly the gears 48 and 49 on impression cylinders 35 and 3d are of equal pitch diameter to their impression cylinders. The gears 48 and 15 are peripherally spaced as shown at 56, therefore do not cooperate, while at the other end of the rolls 35 and 35, additional gears are provided, geartl being secured on the shaft 52 of cylinder 36, and gear 53 being secured on the shaft 54 of cylinder 35, these gears being equal in pitch diameter to the centers between the shafts 52 and 55. By this means the same peripheral speed is obtained while spacing the impression cylinders.

The plate cylinders are all mounted in such manner as to permit convenient removal of the plates, and these plates may be removed either from the top or from the bottom of the cylinder as may be desired.

The roll of paper $5 is mounted below the lowest impression cylinder similar to the roll of paper 21, and due to the fact that there is no idler gear interposed between any of the impression cylinders, the web path is more suitable for forwarding the web from the path after, or following any impression, this web path continuing upwardly through the vertical tier of impression cylinders as indicated by the web 5% which first passes under and about the guide roller 51, thence upwardly between the impression cylinder 3A and plate cylinder 39, thence between the impression cylinders 3 3 and 35, thence between the impression cylinder 3 and plate cylinder 49, thence between the impression cylinders 35 and 36, between the impression cylinder 35 and plate cylinder 4i, between the impression cylinders 36 and 31 and upwardly between the impression cylinder 3'! and plate cylinder 42, over the guide roller 58 to the drag roller 59.

The web 56, as previously stated, may be forwarded following any impression, and if forwarded as indicated by the dotted line 60, about the guide roller 6| to drag roller 59, will print the web on one side in one color, while if the Web is forwarded as indicated by the dotted line 62, over the guide roller 63 and under guide roller 64 to drag roller 59, the web will be printed on both sides in one color; if the web is forwarded as indicated at 65 under the guide roller 64 to drag roller 59, one side of the web will be printed in one color and the other side of the web in two colors, while if carried through the uppermost pair of plate and impression cylinders as indicated at 6B, and above the guide roller 58, each side of the web will be printed in two colors.

In addition to this, by adjusting any of the impression cylinders out of contact with its 00- operating plate cylinder, the same results are obtainable. It will be noted that the web may be forwarded to the web path following any impression.

As previously stated, the number of impression cylinders and cooperating plate cylinders will depend on the maximum number of colors to be printed on both sides of a web, and this may be accomplished either by increasing the number of pairs of impression and plate cylinders in the unit or installing a second unit in cooperative relation and driven in synchronism with the first unit.

The gearing arrangement for the unit shown in Fig. 1 is clearly indicated in Fig. 5 in which the drive gear 19 drives the gears 61 and 68; respectively secured to the shafts of impression cylinders l2 and II, these two gears acting as idler gears to drive the gears 69 and 19 on impression cylinders I3 and I0, and also to drive the gears H and 12 on the plate cylinders 22 and 2|, gears 13 and 14 on plate cylinders 20 and 23 being driven through the gears 10 and 69, and these gears are preferably of an anti-blacklash type such as spiral and herringbone gears so as to obtain true registry during the printing operations.

The adjustment required for the bearings is very small, in fact sufiiciently minute that it will not afiect the operation of the gears, being only a matter of obtaining the proper impression between the cooperating impression and plate cylinders except when the impression cylinder is to be moved out of engagement with the plate cylinders.

This adjustment may be provided on the plate cylinders instead of on the impression cylinders if so desired, however, if provided on the plate cylinders, it would require adjustment also of the inking devices, and thus would complicate matters.

From this it will be seen that a multi-color printing machine is provided in which the same machine without adjustment, but merely a change in threading the web, may be caused to print one or both sides of the web in one or more colors, and each side of the web can be given or provided with its own individual or suitable number of different color impressions, the unit therefore being universally adapted for single or multi-color printing without change.

Having described an operative device, it will be understood that variations in construction and arrangement of parts which are consistent with the appended claims may be resorted to without detracting from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In a printing unit having a plurality of printing couples consisting of a vertical tier of impression cylinders and a plate cylinder laterally cooperating with each impression cylinder; means for directing a. web upwardly to the lowermost printing couple and thence upwardly through the series of printing couples, a drag roller, and a guide roller in web-cooperative relation to each impression cylinder and to said drag roller, whereby a web may be forwarded at will from any impression cylinder in said series to said drag roller.

2. A structure as claimed in claim 1, lateral adjusting means for each impression cylinder for adjusting each impression cylinder relative to its associated plate cylinder for adjusting the pressure cooperation therebetween or adjusting the impression cylinder out of cooperation with the plate cylinder, at Will.

3. In a printing unit, a plurality of printing couples consisting of a plurality of pairs of impression cylinders arranged in a vertical tier, each pair of impression cylinders cooperating to forward a web and being vertically spaced from the next adjacent pair to form a free web path following impression of two sides of the Web, a plate cylinder in lateral cooperative relation to each impression cylinder, said plate cylinders being successively located on opposite sides of the successive impression cylinders; adjusting means for each impression cylinder for laterally adjusting the impression cylinder relative to its cooperatively-related plate cylinder, for impression-cooperation or non-cooperation at will; a drag roller; and a guide roller in web cooperative relation to each impression cylinder and to said drag roller for forwarding said web following any impression at will said adjusting means providing for reduction in the number of impressions at will without changing the existent path of the web.

4. In a printing machine, a series of printing couples for printing one or both sides of a web in one or more colors at will, each couple consisting of a plate cylinder and an impression cylinder; means for forwarding said web from any impression cylinder in said series, at will, for producing a predetermined number of impressions on one or both sides of said web, and adjusting means for each impression cylinder for adjusting the impression cylinder out of cooperation with its associated plate cylinder for reducing the number of impressions on either or both sides of the web while maintaining the existing web path without change.

5. A structure as claimed in claim 4, said series of printing couples consisting of a plurality of pairs of printing couples in which the impression cylinders in each pair cooperate for forwarding the web from one couple of the pair to the other, and the adjacent impression cylinders of two adjacent pairs are spaced apart to form a free web path following any series impression on both sides of the web.

JOHN F. THOMAS, Administrator of the Estate of John A. Boyce,

Deceased. 

